Imagine if you will, being in a wine shop and having a glass of wine being poured for you.  Yes, I was at my local wine shop and club, The Fine Wine Source in Livonia.  These two men walk in, and all of a sudden, I heard a request that a certain bottle of wine should be poured for me.  By now, you realize that I do not shy away from such behavior.  Even a quick look at the label, and I knew that I had had the wine before, more déjà vu, and I no longer have my animosity towards Zinfandel.

They poured me a glass of Tré Son 4 Hearts Vineyard Zinfandel 2018 from Paso Robles, California and I was told that this was a Fine Wine Source Exclusive.  Who am I to pass up an offer like this?  I am slowly getting an appreciation for the Zinfandel grape, as for years I had shunned it, from the jam-bombs I remember having as a kid from the homemade “Dago Red” wines that were abundant in my neighborhood and we often received jugs of it as gifts.  All those years back as a child when I was allowed a glass of wine, my sensory functions would go tilt, because I could taste the jammy fruit and egg-whites, which the old men used to use to fine the wines.  As a kid, I could never eat the whites of the eggs by themselves, and that taste had turned me off.  Some fifty years later I guess that I have matured a bit, even though I still don’t eat fried eggs, I have learned to enjoy a good glass of Zinfandel.  This wine that I was tasting was not super jammy, even with the deep color and a truly delightful nose, but there was a charming earthy terroir that really won me over.

The label was consistent to the Tré Son 4 Hearts Vineyard Zinfandel Paso Robles 2015.  As is my nature, when I am doing additional research, because I want my facts to be right, I Googled the wine and my original article was the second entry cited, you know, that I just felt wonderful.  It turns out that one of the two men that walked in was the owner of 4 Hearts Vineyard.  My wine shop helped designed the label and helped secure the proper paperwork in the Byzantine labyrinth that is how Michigan is able to sell wines.  The vineyard was bought in 2004, which at the time was a walnut ranch, and the first fifteen acres of thirty-seven were planted in 2007, of which ten acres were Zinfandel.  The vineyard is owned by a gentleman that hails from Ann Arbor, Michigan who now divides his time between Michigan with his current business and residing in Paso Robles which will eventually be his retirement home and business.  The 4 Hearts refer to his wife and his three daughters, so that negated the three sons thought.  When one considers the tender young age of this vineyard, it is well respected by some other wineries that use their fruit.  Some of the wineries listed by the vineyard include some of their earliest purchasers like Dunning Vineyard, Saxum Vineyards and Venteux Vineyards and many others.  So, all I can say is, if you find this bottle of wine, give it a go, I don’t think you will be disappointed.